Free Saturday Workshop #1: Heartbeads – What do you carry with you? with Seven Alexa Manschot

Not Quite There, but Here With Me is a series of five workshops led by Seven Alexa Manschot, inspired by Moshekwa Langa’s exhibition You will find us in the best places. Just as Langa does in his work, we explore how we can transform personal memories and experiences into images and objects. Using everyday objects as building blocks and our own associations as a driving force, we learn more about what is uniquely ours in a creative way.

Among other things, we’ll be making a wearable amulet and a personal memory game. We’ll play with stories, materials and flavours, and discover how something that is initially ordinary can take on an unexpected personal meaning. You don’t need to be an artist or know exactly what you want to make; curiosity is enough.

Be inspired by Langa’s exploration of identity, memory and everyday materials, and discover how your own perspective makes the world special.

Programme:

31 October: Workshop #1 – Heartbeads – What do you carry with you?

7 November: Workshop #2 – Place bunting – Layers of memories

14 November: Workshop #3 – Me-mory

21 November: Workshop #4 – Quite like me

28 November: Workshop #5 – Identitea

Workshop #1 – Heartbeads – What do you carry with you?

Participants will create a wearable ‘heartbead’ – an object representing a memory, person, place or feeling that they can carry with them as a small amulet. They’ll choose materials and create symbols based on their own associations; for example, a colour might represent a person, a broken object an emotion, or a texture or material might symbolise a particular emotional weight.

What part of a memory would you like to carry with you, even if the place itself has changed? If a place or situation changes, what remains that you can still carry with you? Is there anything from a memory that you would always like to be able to carry with you? I can challenge participants who finish quickly to make a larger or a second ‘heartbead’ and expand on their associations. Ask about their associations.

Finally, we’ll show our heartbeads to each other and talk a little about the choices we made for the object.